McBride - Bumpus Genealogy

                          The Story Tellers  ....  we are the chosen  ...
 
                                          or why I am so fascinated ("obsessed") with Genealogy 
 
 
     My feelings are in each family there is one who seems called to find the ancestors. To put flesh on their

bones and make them live again, to tell the family story and to feel that somehow they know and approve.

To me doing genealogy is not a cold gathering of facts but, instead, breathing life into all who have gone

before. We are the story tellers of the tribe. All tribes have one. We have been called as it were by our genes.

Those who have gone before cry out to us: Tell our story. So, we do.
 
     In finding them, we somehow find ourselves. How many graves have I stood before now and cried? I have

lost count. How many times have I told the ancestors you have a wonderful family you would be proud of us?

How many times have I walked up to a grave and felt somehow there was love there for me? I cannot say.
 
     It goes beyond just documenting facts. It goes to who am I and why do I do the things I do?
 
     It goes to seeing a cemetery about to be lost forever to weeds and indifference and saying I can't let this

happen. The bones here are bones of my bone and flesh of my flesh. It goes to doing something about it.
 
It goes to pride in what our ancestors were able to accomplish. How they contributed to what we are today.
 
     It goes to respecting their hardships and losses, their never giving in or giving up, their resoluteness to

go on and build a life for their family.
 
     It goes to deep pride that they fought to make and keep us a Nation. It goes to a deep and immense

understanding that they were doing it for us. That we might be born who we are. That we might remember

them. So we do.
 
     With love and caring and scribing each fact of their existence, because we are them and they are us.
 
     So, as a scribe called I tell the story of my family. It is up to that one called in the next generation to

answer the call and take their place in the long line of family storytellers.
 
     That, is why I do my family genealogy, and that is what calls those young and old to step up and put

flesh on the bones.
 

Note by Harold Sparks -Webmaster: Sparks Genealogy.com

The article above was shared with me by a fellow Genealogist, as an attachment to an E-Mail .  The author

of the piece at that time was unknown.  Through the diligence of  Karen Adams, the true author was tracked

down.  It was written by Della M. Cummings Wright and re-written by her grand daughter, Della JoAnn

McGinnis Johnson.  A version of the piece appeared on the web site of Tom Dunn.   He had again re-worded

and edited it....